Compromised Vitality REDONE
by Chain Mell
Summary: I redid the original Compromised Vitality because it was getting nothing. Original summary still stands. "There's something wrong with Duo. Can the others figure it out before it's too late?"
1. Chapter 1

I sat near the door of my bedroom, waiting for the dizzy spell to pass when a violent wave of nausea took me over. I managed to fight it down but ended up in a coughing fit for my efforts.

Couldn't win for losing.

I think I went on for about three minutes. Three long painful minutes. And by the time I was done my hand looked like I'd drowned it in red paint. I sighed and leant my head against the wall. I was dying and I knew it. How did I find out? Well, it's not everyday you wake up with joints so stiff you'd think you'd been raised from the dead; or look in the mirror and first thing you see is blood running out of your eyes. That and coupled with blackouts that come out of like, nowhere and then sporadic visits to the porcelain God along with these offerings of blood…

Kinda drops the bomb on ya, you know?

Do the others know about it?

Hell no. And I so don't plan on telling them about it. Though they'd probably figure it out later. Hopefully when I finally bite the dust. That way I don't have to explain. I worked too hard during the war to gain their respect and I'm not about to lose it three years later all because of a stupid illness. I don't like being weak. Or letting others know for that matter. And besides, no one's around to cheer their gloomy asses up when they need it. So if making them happy means suffering in silence…

So be it.

But it hadn't been happening for that long. Oh no. I'd probably be dead by now. It's only been going on for about say… six months now. Mostly by luck since I shared an office with Yuy. The guy had eyes like a damned hawk. Yah, I love the guy but sometimes that sharp eye just puts me in difficult spots.

The world seemed steady again and I slowly got to my feet, throwing on my work jacket and heading down the stairs and out the house. I have a job, you know. Can't have Une chewing my ass out on a Monday.

**A/N: This is the introduction to the rewritten Compromised Vitality. The last one completely sucked (to me, anyway) and though I don't think this is going to be professionally written, I believe that this one is going to be much better. Hope you enjoy this one as much as the first one.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Kind of forgot to put the little heads up on the old fic so I'll do that now. I know the last had been a bit short and so is this one. Now that I look back, this could have been added to it but it's a bit too late for that. I got three reviews already.**

**ENJOY!**

**KEY: **___text___ = Flashback

_italics_ = Thoughts

**ONE: The Deal**

So, yeah, it's been six months, but I think I'll start from the beginning. I'd been working for the Preventer Organization for about two years already. One of the top field agents all around --comes with the skills of being a Gundam pilot-- and the only person who could survive being partnered with the Earth and Colony renown Heero Yuy. Well, war renown, anyway… by those who survived. But, going back to the situation, I'd just completed an undercover mission. Just like the rough old days. Kind of a disappointment that I didn't get to blow anything up along with it, though.

Veering off point again so here. I'm just coming back from a mission and this time with a squad under both my and Yuy's command. I was the decoy and the guy who was supposed to do the dirty work slipped up and got caught…

___"Boss," said Murray, the leader's lackey, pointing to one of the security screens. "looks like somebody got past the guards and bringing all his friends with him." ___

I was just coming up with random questions at the time when I had spotted the guy in one of the frames, trying to get the guys to change their game plan a bit. And after big-eyed Murray (his eyes were so huge it was a wonder that his eyelids could get over them) saw the lump, everyone had rounded on me. I kind of figured that they were having suspicions about my addition to the crew, how things seemed to end a bit differently than they had planned it all out; like how they 'somehow' got the wrong account to drain the ESUN's account dry and put the Earth and Colonies in a drought so dry no one would be able to believe it.

So I'm just standing there, trying to look all innocent (and failing, I might add, since I was so anxious to get this case over with). But the boss would have none of it. And then they whipped out the needle. Now I was in deep shit. You see, they were making a drug that they would release on L3 where we were at that point, to recreate an epidemic somewhat like the L2 plague. It was something that countered the vaccination that had been given out, activating the plague from within the antibodies. Shit was never completed and they had yet to test it on a human. Oh, just so you'd know, the rats had died horribly after those tests. So, if you did your math correctly, I was then the guinea pig.

Now, I was only armed with one pistol with twelve rounds and in a room with twenty five men. Most of which were much bigger than I was and so that kind of left me in the lurch…

___"Get him," the boss' deep voice cut through the tension.___

So, these two guys appear out of _nowhere_ behind me, blocking me from getting to the door. Everyone was getting ready to draw their weapons while the old man .I.e. the scientist, tried to make it all dramatic and advanced sort of slowly toward me with the needle…

___"Say you prayers, kid," said Murray, smirk on his face. Dr. Helm stalked toward Duo with the needle. He knew that the rats they tested the serum on had convulsed and died almost immediately. And since it was so unstable, it would be able to kill the kid just as easily._

_Before he could receive the injection, Duo kicked the needle out of Dr. Helm's hand and attacked the two men behind him and then sent the doctor sprawling across the ground. Everyone had drawn their guns by now and started firing. Duo wasn't left idle, though since he had hid behind a cushioned chair and began firing rounds of his own. Behind him loomed a shadow he could not see and he felt an especially hard boot with cleats make contact with this abdomen, cutting through his shirt and skin as he was thrown off by the impact.___

So I'm thrown clear across the room, looking like I was having a damned period through my gut. The gun went spiraling out of my hand and I was trying hard to get breath into my lungs, not knowing that I had rolled belly first into the spilled serum. The needle was shattered and the glass pieces were kind of hard to spot in my situation, so excuse me for not seeing them.

So, anyway, I dragged myself through the thing and tried to get my gun. And another one of the bastards shot me in the shoulder…

___Duo cried out as the bullet tore through his collarbone and tried not to curl in on himself. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he reached out with his uninjured arm, using the other elbow as a weak support. He had managed to retrieve his gun in time to take down three of the men when the door flew open to reveal Heero and six of the squad members._

"_Preventers! Drop your weapons!"_

_Most of the faction members did so after a while of hesitation. And at the last moment during the stillness, Murray grabbed a pistol lying on the floor and aimed directly at Duo's heart. The braided agent saw when the man was nearly stopped by a bullet to the hand, but the shot still fired, piercing him in the breastbone instead, rendering him unconscious.___

Now, at the time, I was thinking that I'd died somewhat pathetically. But I couldn't say I didn't go out without a bang. As you can see, however, I had survived a bout of severe blood loss and the fatalities of septicemia --blood poisoning. Believe me when I say I'd rather have broken ribs and pneumonia instead of dealing with all of that.

I know you may be wondering about that serum.

They never detected it.

It's like a chameleon. The virus attacks the red blood cells and then takes them over. Now, when the immune system tries to get at it, it's like the viruses _become_ the red blood cells. Nothing is out of the ordinary…seemingly. Sally hadn't seen this bit of information because when I'd realized what had happened and went through the evidence, I'd edited it out in my report.

That was _after_ the weird stuff started happening.

**A/N: I kind of forgot to post this that week after the prologue. Then night after night I keep saying that I'll post. ...And kept forgetting. Sorry for the delay. As you can see I never neglected writing the thing. I just forgot to post (now if that doesn't get my ass out of the fire then I don't know what will). Hope you enjoy this bit of fic that I kind of tossed to the side, albeit unintentionally. Next chapter will get to you after my finals. **

**So until then...keep reminding me. PMs and emails gladly accepted to keep me up to date! XD**


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